Friel calls for ‘living wage’ for Derry people

A local Sinn Fein representative has called for a “decent living wage” for people in Derry.

Liam Friel says he believes introducing a “living wage structure” will ensure a better quality of life for some of the lowest paid workers in the city.

He said: “It is important that people are paid a decent wage for a decent day’s work and I believe introducing a living wage structure would ensure that the lowest paid workers across all sectors would enjoy a better quality of life. It’s not unusal for many workers in Derry to rely on benefits to make up part of their weekly income.”

He added: “While it is important that we have a minimum wage, this is a very basic salary that leaves many people within the ‘working poor’ bracket and we need to move towards ensuring people get proper reward for their work.

“Sinn Féin is determined that people are paid a wage that reflects their work and allows people to move out of the poverty bracket.”